KSL Movie Show review: Nic Cage challenges audience in “The Surfer”
May 1, 2025, 7:00 PM | Updated: May 8, 2025, 5:01 pm
In "The Surfer," Nic Cage plays a man who brings his son back to Australia to teach him surf. But others have other plans.
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If there’s a multiverse that doesn’t have a Nic Cage; I just feel sorry for them. He’s such a wacky, exuberant force of nature in the film industry that I would very much miss him. He’s not an everyday experience; that would be a nightmare, but in small doses, he simply demands my undivided attention on a level that’s hard to describe.
“The Surfer” is no different.
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He plays a guy (I don’t think he ever mentions his name) who has returned to this small western Australian town where he was born, but lived most of his life in the United States (I’m guessing because Cage with an Aussie accent might have been unbearable.)
He seems to be well-off, nice suit, drives a Lexus and hopes to buy his dream house on the hillside overlooking a prime spot on the shoreline where he learned to surf. He’s now brought his son (also not named) but played by Finn Little – Carter from the TV series “Yellowstone”; to this place that he revers so much, to simply catch a few waves with his boy.
But others have other ideas
However, there’s a group of locals that have another idea. They step up to intimidate Nic and Finn, scaring Finn into saying, ‘forget it dad, it’s not worth it.’ By the way, Finn is from Australia, so he has an accent, and now I’m blown away that Yellowstone’s Carter could pull off perfect Montana speak.
Anyway, Finn goes back to town, but Nic is determined to surf these waves, despite the escalating violence by the locals against him, including their ringleader Scally (Julian McMahon.)
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They go so far as to take his surfboard, steal his Lexus and leave him destitute in this seaside parking lot. The local police officer will do nothing to help him, since he’s mates with the bullies.
Descent into madness is ‘pure Nic Cage’
His descent into madness is pure Nic Cage. No one could have pulled this off so effortlessly, but you believe him. What passes as a few hours or a couple of days even, feels like he’s been wandering around this scorched asphalt for weeks – clothes torn, shoes gone, digging through garbage cans for morsels of food, sipping out of pools of tepid water, catching a rat . . . I shan’t go further . . . but how about a slow clap for the king of crazy town, right?
So where is this all going?
You could guess, but most likely you’d be dead wrong. I’m not even sure myself and I sat through the darn thing. I even had the luxury of playing back certain parts and I’m still confused. You’ll probably have better luck than I, but be sure you’re a fan of the handiwork of one Nicolas Kim Coppola aka Nic Cage, because he has come out once again to challenge us all.
Oh and by the way, if I told you Cage actually got bit on the hand by the snake in the movie, would you believe me? Of course you would, without question. Because that’s our Nic.
“The Surfer” (C+) Rated R for language, suicide, some violence, drug content and sexual material. Starring Nicolas Cage, Finn Little, Julian McMahon, Rahel Romahn and Michael Abercromby. Directed by Lorcan Finnegan (“Vivarium” “Without Name”) – filmed in Margaret River, Western Australia. Running time 100 minutes.
The KSL Movie Show with Andy Farnsworth and Steve Salles airs Fridays on KSL NewsRadio from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Follow the show on Facebook, and join The KSL Movie Show Club for exclusive perks by texting MOVIE to 57500. Message and data rates may apply. Text STOP to cancel. Message frequency varies.
